Tesla ends a nearly 7-year Cybertruck wait with refunds and a pitch to buy a different car
Tesla canceled the Cybertruck in Australia and New Zealand, voiding reservations and refunding customers who had been waiting since November 2019.
Here's what to know
Tesla paired the cancellation with an attempt to redirect customers to other models, Electrek reported . The message also included a sales pitch: Tesla was offering a complimentary year of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) to reservation holders who switched to a new Model 3 or Model Y.
Reservation holders began receiving emails Oct. 23 that informed them that their orders would be canceled and any payments refunded within 30 days. Tesla sent the notices after reporting its third-quarter earnings.
Australian customers had been able to place deposits since Cybertruck reservations opened there, so the reversal ends one of Tesla's longest unresolved efforts to bring the vehicle to a right-hand-drive market, per Electrek.
More background
The warning signs came years earlier. Tesla's Australian reservation page disappeared in May 2022 and was replaced with a "Get updates" button, but the company didn't offer refunds.
Even so, Tesla continued showcasing the truck locally. It brought a Cybertruck to Australia for a display tour in 2024, when CEO Elon Musk told shareholders, "We might be able to certify it for other markets sometime next year," according to Electrek.
Markets that rely on right-hand-drive vehicles never got that next step. Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Japan are all right-hand drive, and Australia would also require approval under its own vehicle design rules.
Those added engineering and certification demands would raise the cost of entering those countries for a model already facing demand issues in North America.
What's being done?
Tesla said it will return the money within 30 days, Electrek reported.
Anyone hoping for a comparable electric pickup won't get one. Its one-year FSD (Supervised) offer is for reservation holders who switch to a Model 3 or Model Y, which it already builds in right-hand drive.
Cybertruck rollouts may be left to places where Tesla can sell the existing left-hand-drive version. Its limited Cybertruck launches abroad have all been in left-hand-drive markets.
"After careful consideration, plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued. As a result, we're unable to fulfil your reservation and it will be cancelled," Tesla stated, according to Electrek.
Where can I learn more?
Tesla's refund move is part of a story that includes weak demand, owner issues, and other long-delayed reservations.
• The Cybertruck got Edsel comparisons as sales disappointed and backlash grew.
• Tesla extended Cybertruck warranties after charging failures left some owners unable to plug in.
• After years, Tesla reopened Roadster reservations while 2017 buyers still had no car.
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